Fuel is a diverse map, which accommodates many playing styles. There are very large, open areas with nothing but rocks for cover, contrasting the mainly urban area in the middle, which focuses on close quarter battles. The map is divided into two main sections, with the deserted, rocky landscape surrounding the warehouse and oil refinery. Fuel is the largest map in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, competing with Derail, Overgrown and Wasteland in terms of actual size.

There is a suitcase which contains books titled "MW2 Weapons" and "How To Survive MW2".

It is apparent that the refinery is run by an organization called "Compy Corp".

The console codename for this map is mp_fuel2. This is because another map that was originally planned for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, also named Fuel, used the console codename mp_fuel. This map was scrapped before release, however.

The basement of the large building next to the desert contains a cryptic Russian code, along with an insignia of a hammer and a sickle in a star.